NST
SHAH ALAM: The Election Commission (EC) today reassured transparency and efficiency in postal voting for the 14th General Election.
Its Election Operations Division principal assistant secretary Mohd Sarif Hassan said there was no room for fraudulence or misappropriation in handling postal votes since the process would be conducted in a transparent manner.
“Electoral officials of the respective areas are in charge of handling the issuance of the postal ballot papers. And this process is done in the presence of the representatives of the candidates who will be contesting.
“Eligible postal voters will receive a brown envelope containing two smaller envelopes (pink for state seats and white for parliament seats, except for voters in the Federal Territories who will only be voting for parliamentary seats) with the ballot papers.
“Voters need to mark their choice of candidate and fill out the identity declaration form (Form 2). They will have to obtain the signature of a witness (friends or family members age 21 and above) to prove that they are the rightful postal voters.
“They should also ensure the ballot paper and identity declaration form bear the same serial number,” he said in an interview with Selangor FM today.
Those eligible for the postal facility are Malaysians overseas (application closed on April 7) and police, military personnel, election workers, media personnel and employees at nine government department and agencies who cannot go for the early voting on May 5 (deadline on April 28).
The nine are the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Prisons Department, Fire and Rescue Department, Health Department (government hospitals and clinics only), Auxiliary Police, Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM), Immigration Department, National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) and the National Registration Department (only for staff at Urban Transformation Centre).
Sarif said the sealed postal ballot envelopes, containing the ballot papers should reach the respective EC offices before 5pm on May 9.
“Send out the envelope as soon as possible since any ballot papers received after 5pm on May 9 will not be taken into account.
“Voters can choose to post it via Pos Malaysia (at no cost) or deliver the envelope by hand to the EC’s office. Overseas postal voters, however, will have to bare the postage rate.
“Once received, the envelopes will be safely stored with tight security, such as at police stations until the polling day. It will be opened in the presence of the candidates’ representatives before they are put in a ballot box.”
Registered postal voters, he said, would not be allowed to vote in person on the polling day should they have a change in mind or did not post the envelopes on time.
Sarif also dismissed claims that there are some 4 million postal voters. He explained that the number usually does not exceed 500,000.
“There are only about 12,000 overseas voters and 299,000 postal voters in Malaysia (to date),” he said, adding that for any inquiry, the public can call 03-88810081 or email to upup@spr.gov.my.
SHAH ALAM: The Election Commission (EC) today reassured transparency and efficiency in postal voting for the 14th General Election.
Its Election Operations Division principal assistant secretary Mohd Sarif Hassan said there was no room for fraudulence or misappropriation in handling postal votes since the process would be conducted in a transparent manner.
“Electoral officials of the respective areas are in charge of handling the issuance of the postal ballot papers. And this process is done in the presence of the representatives of the candidates who will be contesting.
“Eligible postal voters will receive a brown envelope containing two smaller envelopes (pink for state seats and white for parliament seats, except for voters in the Federal Territories who will only be voting for parliamentary seats) with the ballot papers.
“Voters need to mark their choice of candidate and fill out the identity declaration form (Form 2). They will have to obtain the signature of a witness (friends or family members age 21 and above) to prove that they are the rightful postal voters.
“They should also ensure the ballot paper and identity declaration form bear the same serial number,” he said in an interview with Selangor FM today.
Those eligible for the postal facility are Malaysians overseas (application closed on April 7) and police, military personnel, election workers, media personnel and employees at nine government department and agencies who cannot go for the early voting on May 5 (deadline on April 28).
The nine are the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Prisons Department, Fire and Rescue Department, Health Department (government hospitals and clinics only), Auxiliary Police, Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM), Immigration Department, National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) and the National Registration Department (only for staff at Urban Transformation Centre).
Sarif said the sealed postal ballot envelopes, containing the ballot papers should reach the respective EC offices before 5pm on May 9.
“Send out the envelope as soon as possible since any ballot papers received after 5pm on May 9 will not be taken into account.
“Voters can choose to post it via Pos Malaysia (at no cost) or deliver the envelope by hand to the EC’s office. Overseas postal voters, however, will have to bare the postage rate.
“Once received, the envelopes will be safely stored with tight security, such as at police stations until the polling day. It will be opened in the presence of the candidates’ representatives before they are put in a ballot box.”
Registered postal voters, he said, would not be allowed to vote in person on the polling day should they have a change in mind or did not post the envelopes on time.
Sarif also dismissed claims that there are some 4 million postal voters. He explained that the number usually does not exceed 500,000.
“There are only about 12,000 overseas voters and 299,000 postal voters in Malaysia (to date),” he said, adding that for any inquiry, the public can call 03-88810081 or email to upup@spr.gov.my.
